BRAVADO!

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Col 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them.

If rhythm could be infused into these verses, it would be then the part which would be the crescendo of a victorious war anthem.Such is the energy, the bravado and the glory of these written words that it touches the very nerve of the battle between good and evil. These verses paint us a picture of two amazing things that happened when He nailed the law to His cross.

1. He spoiled principalities and powers.

The word “spoiled” is descriptive of the benefits that one gets for being victorious in war, which basically includes authority over everything that the enemy had. Rev 1:18 “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

2. He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them.

The picture is one that of a victorious Roman General who after a significant victory would march his armies followed by the defeated foes through the streets of Rome. This march was symbolic of both supremacy and security. The supremacy of the victor and the security that it offered to his people. Post the victory of Christ on the cross, Satan along with all his accomplices, principalities and powers, were taken out in a cosmic parade of gigantic proportions and were made an open spectacle, they were showcased as defeated display objects.

As one reads these verses, it must embolden the heart of the believer, for the cross is the declaration of the supremacy of Christ, the crushing defeat of Satan, and the security of the believer.